Cognitive neuroscience of spatial asymmetry: behaviour, genes and brain imaging. When humans distribute their attention in space, biases or asymmetries of spatial attention exist. Healthy individuals exhibit a processing advantage favouring left space but this advantage is lost in disorders such as unilateral spatial neglect, ADHD and dyslexia. This project will develop novel electrophysiological methods to dissociate the sensory, attentional, decision-making and motoric contributions to spatial ....Cognitive neuroscience of spatial asymmetry: behaviour, genes and brain imaging. When humans distribute their attention in space, biases or asymmetries of spatial attention exist. Healthy individuals exhibit a processing advantage favouring left space but this advantage is lost in disorders such as unilateral spatial neglect, ADHD and dyslexia. This project will develop novel electrophysiological methods to dissociate the sensory, attentional, decision-making and motoric contributions to spatial asymmetries. By interfacing electrophysiology with genetic, neurochemical and brain imaging methods, this project will comprehensively map the biology of spatial asymmetry. This knowledge is vital to developing effective treatments for disorders where atypical patterns of spatial asymmetry index neurological vulnerability.Read moreRead less
Neural and cognitive studies of reward sensitivity and its influence on addiction-related behaviour. The proposed research aims to contribute to current scientific thinking on the influence of reward sensitivity on cognitive performance. Cognitive neuroscience research on this relationship is of major scientific interest because heightened reward sensitivity is a significant predictor of risk for a number of Australia's major social and economic problems. The findings of this project will contri ....Neural and cognitive studies of reward sensitivity and its influence on addiction-related behaviour. The proposed research aims to contribute to current scientific thinking on the influence of reward sensitivity on cognitive performance. Cognitive neuroscience research on this relationship is of major scientific interest because heightened reward sensitivity is a significant predictor of risk for a number of Australia's major social and economic problems. The findings of this project will contribute to the debate about how to manage such problems.Read moreRead less
Examining the relationship between error processing, cognitive control and emotion: a cognitive neuroscience approach. The proposed research aims to contribute to current scientific thinking on how the processing of errors influences self-monitoring and cognitive performance. The ability to monitor one's cognitive performance deteriorates with normal ageing, and is particularly affected in a range of clinical conditions, where it is a reliable predictor of a poor prognostic outcome. This project ....Examining the relationship between error processing, cognitive control and emotion: a cognitive neuroscience approach. The proposed research aims to contribute to current scientific thinking on how the processing of errors influences self-monitoring and cognitive performance. The ability to monitor one's cognitive performance deteriorates with normal ageing, and is particularly affected in a range of clinical conditions, where it is a reliable predictor of a poor prognostic outcome. This project aims to clarify understanding of the cognitive and neural processes underlying self-monitoring, as an important first step to improving rehabilitation and management methods for age-related impairments such as Alzheimer's disease, and prominent mental health conditions such as schizophrenia.Read moreRead less
Improving cognitive function in the elderly. The ageing population has been identified as one of the major issues facing contemporary Australian society. For Australia, human ageing has significant societal, economic and, importantly, personal/human costs. The economic costs associated with ageing reflect decreased productivity as well as a higher incidence of a variety of illnesses including cardiovascular and respiratory disease and, importantly, neurological conditions such as Parkinson's dis ....Improving cognitive function in the elderly. The ageing population has been identified as one of the major issues facing contemporary Australian society. For Australia, human ageing has significant societal, economic and, importantly, personal/human costs. The economic costs associated with ageing reflect decreased productivity as well as a higher incidence of a variety of illnesses including cardiovascular and respiratory disease and, importantly, neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We will complete two large scale studies examining the efficacy of twelve months administration of two pharmacologically active supplements in reducing the cognitive effects of aging in elderly participants.
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Examining the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive control and its application to clinical syndromes featuring dyscontrol. This project will examine the cognitive control and its underlying neural mechanisms. Understanding this relationship is of major scientific interest because cognitive control dysfunction is related to a number of Australia's major social and economic problems, including drug dependence.
The cognitive neuroscience of executive control: behavioural, physiological and genetic mechanisms. How genes influence our human abilities to think, reason and control behaviour has puzzled scientists for decades. The human genome project has allowed us to ask how individual genes influence these capacities. Understanding the genetics of these abilities provides a solid platform from which to launch gene discovery projects in clinical disorders where these abilities are compromised. The curr ....The cognitive neuroscience of executive control: behavioural, physiological and genetic mechanisms. How genes influence our human abilities to think, reason and control behaviour has puzzled scientists for decades. The human genome project has allowed us to ask how individual genes influence these capacities. Understanding the genetics of these abilities provides a solid platform from which to launch gene discovery projects in clinical disorders where these abilities are compromised. The current project is directly relevant to the genetics of mental disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity (ADHD), that place a large burden, both financially and emotionally, on our society. Understanding the genes and biological pathways that increase risk for mental disorders will ultimately lead to improved treatments for these conditions.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100741
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$342,996.00
Summary
Harnessing neural plasticity with brain stimulation. This project aims to investigate the links between the molecular mechanisms underlying brain plasticity and the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation. It will use a novel approach that integrates genetics, electrophysiology and biological modelling. Plasticity underpins all learning, memory and aging. Brain stimulation can drive plasticity in humans, but these effects are extremely difficult to harness and vary widely between people. Expec ....Harnessing neural plasticity with brain stimulation. This project aims to investigate the links between the molecular mechanisms underlying brain plasticity and the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation. It will use a novel approach that integrates genetics, electrophysiology and biological modelling. Plasticity underpins all learning, memory and aging. Brain stimulation can drive plasticity in humans, but these effects are extremely difficult to harness and vary widely between people. Expected outcomes include a critical understanding of the fundamental mechanisms governing plasticity. This will provide significant benefits such as the development of individually optimised brain stimulation protocols, enabling tailored, reliable approaches to address brain function and cognition.Read moreRead less
Common synaptic inputs to human upper airway muscles. Changes in the activity of upper airway muscles at sleep onset contribute to the development of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. The aim of this project is to investigate how the brain controls upper airway muscles during wakefulness and sleep and to identify the pathological processes that lead to the development of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101743
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Estrogens and schizophrenia: animal studies. The female hormone, estrogen, plays a role on the reproductive system but is also involved in neurological and psychiatric disorders. Estrogen has been shown to be protective against schizophrenia, but the mechanism underlying this effect is unknown. This project aims to elucidate the brain mechanisms by which estrogens exert their action.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100120
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$374,973.00
Summary
How do we become aware of stimuli in our spatial environment? The brain constantly creates an awareness of the stimuli in our spatial environment but at the moment it is unclear how different brain regions integrate spatial and stimulus information. The aim of this project is to better understand this integration by using a combination of brain imaging and brain stimulation techniques.